I wasn’t expecting much of Are You The One (柳舟记) when I saw that this is one of those stories with an amnesia plot. There are just too many of those storylines that they have gotten a little predictable. But the leads seemed like a compatible pair at a glance and I decided to jump in then. I guess my spontaneous decision was the right one because this is a rather engaging drama overall. You can check out my review of Are You The One below for more details.
My rating: 8/10
Episodes: 40
Type: Historical Romance
Aired: August 2024
Images Credit: WeTV Official Facebook
The Cast Of Are You The One
- Zhang Wan Yi as Cui Xing Zhou / Lord Huaiyang / Cui Jiu
- Wang Chu Ran as Liu Mian Tang
- Zhang Chi as Zhao Quan / Marquis Zhennan
- Liu Ling Zi as He Zhen
- Chang Hua Sen as Zi Yu / Liu Yu
- Huang Can Can as Sun Yun Er
- Yuan Yu Xuan as Shi Xue Ji
- Fang Zi Bin as Liu Pei / Prince Sui
- Tong Lei as Consort Dowager Chu
- Dong Xuan as Empress Dowager Wu
- Cao Xi Yue as Lian Bing Lan
- Xu Mei Ling as Nanny Li
- Miao Hao Jun as General Shi Yi Kuan
- Leon Lai as Cui Xing Di
- Zhou Meng as Lin Si Yue / Princess Chun Yue
- Liu Cong Fei as Qiao Xian / Qiulin Xian
Main Characters
Cui Xing Zhou / Lord Huaiyang / Cui Jiu
Xing Zhou is Lord Huaiyang who is the Chief Commander of Zhenzhou. His mother is a consort dowager while his father died young. Xing Zhou is a smart and determined man with a strong army. Cui Jiu is his assumed identity which he uses to pretend that he is a commoner. Mo Ru is Xing Zhou’s personal servant.
Liu Mian Tang
Mian Tang is an amnesiac who has lost her memory after a brutal attack by an unknown assailant. She is intelligent and perceptive with a keen business sense. Mian Tang is sincere and warm but knows how to fight back when bullied. Her family runs a goods escort agency.
Supporting Characters
Zhao Quan / Marquis Zhennan
Zhao Quan is a marquis and Xing Zhou’s best friend. He is a physician but has no real ambition and career. His fiancee abandoned him without warning just before they were about to get married. Zhao Quan is Xing Zhou’s sidekick and both of them are a fun, bickering pair.
He Zhen
He Zhen is a capable manager of her family business but her gender is an obstacle in a patriarchal society. Her family runs a porcelain business and her father is the chairman of the porcelain traders’ guild. He Zhen also has a brother, Young Master He, but he is an impulsive and a narrow-minded young man.
Zi Yu / Liu Yu
Zi Yu is Liu Yu’s pseudonym. He is also known as Lu Wen, the leader of Mount Yang which is a group of bandits. But Zi Yu is a cultured and polite man rather than a savage. He is a Go chess player and a tactician.
Sun Yun Er
Yun Er is Zi Yu’s personal assistant. She has feelings for Zi Yu which she has to suppress for a greater agenda.
Shi Xue Ji
Xue Ji is the daughter of the Chief Commander of Qingzhou. She is the younger sibling who is often bullied by her sisters as she is merely a concubine’s daughter and her mother died when she was still young. Thus, she can be timid. But Xue Ji is someone who can look beyond the obvious and is a practical young lady. She loves food and is betrothed to Zi Yu.
Liu Pei / Prince Sui
Prince Sui is the late Emperor’s brother. He is a closet rebel who wants the throne for himself.
Consort Dowager Chu
Consort Dowager Chu is Xing Zhou’s mother. Her husband died young and being the official wife, her son is the legitimate heir to the family title. Consort Dowager Chu is a gentle and amiable woman.
Empress Dowager Wu
Empress Dowager Wu is the de facto ruler of the Qi Kingdom as her Emperor son is just a young boy. She is a petty and suspicious woman who is wary of Xing Zhou’s power. Above her is the Grand Empress Dowager who is an old woman with a sharp instinct on others’ intentions.
Lian Bing Lan
Bing Lan is Xing Zhou’s cousin as well as fiancee. While she has feelings for Xing Zhou, she is more interested in the status of being a princess. Her mother is also a shallow-minded and jealous woman who is envious of her sister’s status.
Nanny Li
Nanny Li is Xing Zhou’s housekeeper who has been tasked to take care of the household he has set up with Mian Tang. She is loyal to Xing Zhou but also feels guilty of having to constantly lie to Mian Tang.
General Shi Yi Kuan
General Shi is the chief Commander of Qingzhou. Qingzhou is Zhenzhou’s neighboring county which is under the governance of Xing Zhou. General Shi is an opportunistic man who is colluding with a higher-up for future riches and power. Xue Ji is one of his daughters whom he has betrothed to Zi Yu.
Cui Xing Di
Xing Di is Xing Zhou’s half-brother. He is a cripple and is wheelchair-bound.
Lin Si Yue / Princess Chun Yue
Si Yue is the Princess of the former Wolf Lord. Her Wolf Clan is part of the Western tribes along the Qi Kingdom’s border. Her father was killed by A Gushan for his position.
Qiao Xian / Qiulin Xian
Qiao Xian is Mian Tang’s uncle. He often indulges Mian Tang and allows her to follow her heart without his father’s knowledge. His father, Grandpa Qiao, is the owner of an escort agency in Beizhou who dotes on Mian Tang.
Synopsis
Xing Zhou is a powerful chief Commander of Zhenzhou known as Lord Huaiyang. He is on the hunt for a bandit leader named Lu Wen and happened to save a severely injured Mian Tang whom he believes is Lu Wen’s beloved. Mian Tang has been brutally attacked and as a result, lost most of her memory. When she awakens, she assumes Xing Zhou is her husband. Xing Zhou plays along as he plans to use Mian Tang to lure out Lu Wen.
However, during the time spent as husband and wife, Xing Zhou begins to fall in love with Mian Tang who is devoted to him. He thought he could send her away after solving the Lu Wen case, but finds himself wanting to keep her instead. In the mean time, he has to keep up the pretense that he is a commoner who is just a Go chess enthusiast.
As Xing Zhou keeps delaying to tell Mian Tang the truth, what would her reaction be when she finds out about his deception? With Xing Zhou trying to uncover a hidden hand behind a smuggling activity and royal enemies wanting him dead, Mian Tang is drawn into the saga due to her past connections to the case.
Are You The One Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)
Are You The One has a happy ending. Prince Sui starts to rebel and is closing in on the capital. Xing Zhou and Zi Yu allow him to assume that he is on the verge of success. It is a set-up to entrap him and Yun Er so that their traitorous intentions will be exposed. Hence, Prince Sui and Yun Er are caught and have to admit defeat. The prince’s faction is purged from the royal court and Zi Yu could now rule stably without threats.
Zi Yu and Xing Zhou part amicably after the incident. They respect and wish each other well. Xing Zhou informs Zi Yu that he will return to his fief as that is also what Mian Tang wants. The couple happily travels back to their hometown. He Zhen agrees to marry Zhao Quan soon. Zi Yu and Xue Ji start to have a happier and loving relationship between them.
When Did The Leads Get Together?
Mian Tang really believes that Xing Zhou is her husband after she lost her memory. But Mian Tan is just part of Xing Zhou’s plan to lure out Lu Wen all along. However, he is reluctant to let her go in Episode 9 when Lu Wen has been pacified and pardoned by the Emperor. He continues the charade of being her husband and they shared a loving and warm relationship until Mian Tang recovers her memory in Episode 16. She pretends that she is still suffering from amnesia while trying to get her revenge and investigating who wanted her dead.
In the meantime, Xing Zhou has plans to marry Mian Tang in Episode 19. He tells his mother about it and rejects Bing Lan in Episode 20. Bing Lan wants to salvage their engagement which has been cancelled earlier before Xing Zhou went to war in Episode 12. His mother objects to his relationship with Mian Tang and pressures him again to marry Bing Lan in Episode 21. Xing Zhou refuses and gets beaten by his mother as a result. Mian Tang learns what happened after seeing the marks on his body. However, intelligence receives by Xing Zhou subsequently makes him suspicious of Mian Tang’s identity.
After their break up, Xing Zhou meets Mian Tang again in her hometown while he is there on official business in Episode 26. He pursues her again and apologizes for his past deception. Xing Zhou proposes marriage and they obtain their certificate in Episode 31. They return to Zhenzhou and he announces their wedding date in Episode 32. The couple has their wedding ceremony in Episode 36.
Is There Any Breakup?
After having known each other’s identity, Xing Zhou and Mian Tang take off their masks and confront each other in Episode 23. She tells him that she has no love but hate for him for his deception. The wife that he loves is also a fake and not the real her. Hence, they should part ways. He lets her stab him with her hairpin and they owe each other nothing from then on.
Is There Any Love Triangle?
Zi Yu is also in love with Mian Tang but she couldn’t remember him and her past after an attack that left her seriously wounded at the start of the drama. To get his plan going, Zi Yu starts to work for General Shi and is betrothed to his daughter, Xue Ji, in Episode 10. He makes her his Empress in Episode 25 after he became the Emperor and Mian Tang has rejected him beforehand. Mian Tang feels that things are now different from the past and she doesn’t fully trust him. She asks him to let her go instead.
He Zhen has secret feelings for Xing Zhou all along after he rescued her from some bandits in the past. She is contented to be his concubine but Xing Zhou shuts down that possibility through Bing Lan in Episode 10. He Zhen lets go of her obsession towards Xing Zhou in Episode 11 after hearing his explanation on why he doesn’t think it is a good idea for her to be his concubine. This is because he doesn’t have any feelings for her and she will just be neglected in the union.
Bing Lan and Xing Zhou are betrothed to each other but his deepening feelings for Mian Tang makes things difficult for him. His marriage to Bing Lan has been arranged but an order from the Emperor for him to fight a war with the Western tribes gives him an excuse to cancel their engagement in Episode 12. This is after Bing Lan pretended to be sick to avoid marrying him in case he dies in the war.
When Did Mian Tang Get Back Her Memory?
Mian Tang starts having flashbacks and regains her memory in Episode 16. This is after she went to the border to be with Xing Zhou when he is sent there to fight a war with the Western tribes. This is the place where her family’s goods escort agency is which triggers her memory of the past. In Episode 17, it is revealed through flashbacks that Mian Tang was the true leader of Mount Yang and Zi Yu was merely a front. The name Lu Wen was her creation. Her “wedding” was an act to fool her grandfather so that she can leave for Mount Yang.
This is also when Mian Tang knows Xing Zhou is not her real husband and he is most probably Lord Huaiyang. She gets her confirmation in Episode 19 after she asked him about the scar on his hand which he got from the arrow she shot at the beginning of the drama.
The Past
Mian Tang confronts Yun Er in Episode 23 and gets the confirmation that she wants. Yun Er is indeed working for Prince Sui and she was the one who ordered Mian Tang to be killed. Mian Tang knows too much and was holding Zi Yu back from their plan. Yun Er also broke the truce that had been made with Xing Zhou. As a result, Xing Zhou retaliated which weakened Mount Yang. This pushed Zi Yu to ally himself with Prince Sui when he had been hesitant earlier.
In Episode 26, Mian Tang returns to her hometown in Beizhou to see her grandfather. She narrates her story to him. She was supposed to be married off to a man called Cui Jiu but disagreed with her grandfather’s arrangement. So, she ran off to Mount Yang with her uncle’s cooperation to live with Zi Yu. Zi Yu was her uncle’s acquaintance.
Who Is Zi Yu?
Empress Dowager’s brother is killed in Episode 22 after learning about Zi Yu’s identity. Zi Yu was the son of the late Crown Prince who was killed in a power struggle. When General Shi learns about his future son-in-law’s identity through Prince Sui, Xue Ji convinces her father to side with Zi Yu as they have no other choice. Zi Yu becomes the Emperor in Episode 23 after successfully deposing Empress Dowager Wu with General Shi’s and Prince Sui’s support.
Second Couple
He Zhen first met Zhao Quan in Episode 10 after she fell sick following Xing Zhou’s rejection. She mistakenly thought he is a quack doctor in Episode 11 and hence, doesn’t have a good impression of him. He Zhen is also unhappy that her father wants her to marry Zhao Quan due to his status as a marquis in Episode 14. In Episode 20, He Zhen and Zhao Quan are still quarreling as she thinks that he is deceitful to agree to an engagement with her in exchange for her father’s help to transport grains to Xing Zhou during the war with the Western tribes earlier.
As a result, He Zhen’s brother forces them together by drugging their wine and locking them up in a room. But Zhao Quan rather cuts himself to stop his desire to protect He Zhen’s innocence. He also states his willingness to marry her to save her reputation if she wants him to. But He Zhen would rather run away than being forced by her father to marry Zhao Quan in Episode 22. She wants to be recognized for her capability and not just being somebody’s wife.
Zhao Quan bumps into He Zhen again in Episode 28. She has gone to Beizhou to start her own porcelain business. Zhao Quan helps out at her kiln in Episode 31 and supports her through her difficulties. He also chides her family to protect her after they returned to Zhenzhou in Episode 33. Zhao Quan’s mother is happy with his choice and wants them to get married. He follows He Zhen to settle in the mountains to produce porcelain when she decides to leave her family in Episode 34.
Third Couple
Zi Yu marries Xue Ji and makes her his Empress in Episode 25. They are honest with and respectful of each other. Zi Yu makes it clear that he has no love but only gratitude for her as she has been supportive of him. Marrying her is also a strategy to balance the power of his ministers. Xue Ji understands and knows that he only loves Mian Tang. She will fulfill her duties and try not to give him trouble. Xue Ji is also thankful that Zi Yu has taken her out of an unhappy home environment to be his Empress.
However, Xue Ji is still being pressured by her family to get more honors from Zi Yu for them in Episode 30. But she remains unwilling to help her family as she doesn’t want to create more headache for Zi Yu. Furthermore, she knows she can’t rely on her family. She only has Zi Yu to fall back on and hence, protecting him also means protecting herself. Zi Yu feels at ease with Xue Ji’s honesty and loyalty. They continue to support each other throughout.
In Episode 35, Zi Yu signals to the Shi family that their honors are dependent on Xue Ji and her Empress position is irreplaceable which means she must be respected. In Episode 37, Xue Ji advises Zi Yu to let Mian Tang go after she arrived at the capital. Detaining Mian Tang will just make her and Xing Zhou wither from their yearning for each other. Zi Yu gets Xue Ji’s message and listens to her advice. Zi Yu shows utmost concern for Xue Ji’s safety when Prince Sui rebels in Episode 39. Their time together through thick and thin lays the foundation for a more loving relationship between them in Episode 40.
Are You The One Review – A Slow Start To An Enjoyable Romance
Are You The One has an engaging opening like The Double whereby the first few minutes will immediately evoke your interest. But the difference is the intensity isn’t there in Are You The One after that brief moment at the start. For the next dozen episodes or so, it has a rather slow-moving plot to me. You have to watch them playing house as a married couple with the predictability that this won’t last forever. With the female lead’s amnesia, it is a given that she will recover her memory and their relationship will go south with the male lead’s deception.
As a result, you will be waiting and waiting for that to happen as their play house chapter drags on. To be fair, you might enjoy it if you really like the couple and don’t mind their fake marital bliss. But if you prefer a faster pace to the story, then this part could have been significantly shortened. For me, I do think there is no necessity to stretch the story once the male lead’s feelings for the female lead have been clearly established.
Nevertheless, the story moves along smoothly thereafter. Hence, the second half of the drama is better than the first for me. At the very least, there are more things happening which means less boredom. Therefore, the key lies in your willingness to sit through the slowness of the first dozen episodes that lays the foundation to the subsequent events. But if you love a large dose of romance, I guess Are You The One will still be enjoyable overall.
Romance-Centric
Compared to The Princess Royal, the romance in Are You The One is much more satisfying to watch without entanglements with exes to muddy the waters. Romance between the leads is the focus for the most part except for the last few episodes when palace politics takes centerstage to round up the story. Well, they need to finish off the villain and that is where the plot takes us towards the end.
But for three quarters of the drama, the main couple’s relationship and interactions dominate the screen time. Thus, if you are a hardcore romance drama fan, this should be right up your alley. The first half is where the couple develop love for each other and enjoy being together although the female protagonist has lost her memory and the male lead is using her as a bait. This part can be sweet if you really like seeing them as a couple.
The second half is where the male protagonist has to woo back his lady love before the politics starts to command more screen time. So, some viewers may prefer the first half than the second because wooing and groveling are not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Furthermore, the romance is pretty much settled once that is done. The palace politics then kicks in and this part of the story is just not that impressive.
Half-Baked Power Struggle Plot (Spoilers Alert!)
The palace politics part of the story is told in a simple manner without too much details. I understand the need to keep things simple as this is not meant to be another Joy Of Life given that romance is its main selling point. But one thing that bothers me is the lack of details about the female protagonist’s past and how it ties back to the power struggle. Her past is told in dribs and drabs through flashbacks but never completely explained to the viewers why certain events happened and their context.
For instance, viewers are given the assumption that the female lead and second male lead were lovers in the past. But we don’t know why he cheated on her with his assistant. Does he know if it is part of a plan to get her out of the way? Or he knew all along but sacrificed her to achieve his aim of gaining the throne that was meant to be his? We are never told. The person who help him also has no reason to do so when he could have gotten the throne for himself. Why help him and then rebel later on to get the same throne?
Basically, some things are not well-explained or completely missing from the story. So, you just have to make your own assumptions along the way regarding the past. This is just good for the romance but falls short where the palace subplot is concerned.
Acting & Chemistry
I enjoyed Zhang Wan Yi’s acting in Are You The One just like I did in Lost You Forever S2. He switches between his role as a responsible fief lord and an idle merchant cum loving husband with ease in this one. So, one moment he is domineering and strong while the next, he has to act sweet and clueless as a failed merchant in front of his wife. He portrays these 2 sides very naturally that you don’t feel that the acting is exaggerated or overdone.
Wang Chu Ran has also improved since I first noticed her in Royal Feast. She did better in Fireworks Of My Heart and now, she seemed to know how to really get into the character that she has to play. Her beautiful features help in her role in Are You The One but her charming portrayal of her character is what makes her stand out in the drama.
Chemistry-wise, the 2 leads certainly know how to generate the attraction to keep viewers engrossed in their story. Furthermore, the plot does have the necessary ingredients to create room for sparks to fly between 2 smart people who are both lovers and enemies. Both Zhang Wan Yi and Wang Chu Ran are able to capitalize on this and their chemistry is certainly one of the reasons for this drama’s success.
My Verdict – Watch For The Romance
I guess Are You The One is written in a way that uses romance to entice viewers and it largely works. It is more on the light side of things without too much heartaches. So, it is a fairly easy watch with just a bit of angst at a critical point. It doesn’t try to go down the dark path which could be possible with the deception and revenge angles. Instead, things are kept sweet and light for the most part as well as comedic at some points.
While it is enjoyable overall, 40 episodes is a bit of a stretch to me. This could have been shorter with a tighter focus to keep it fast-paced and more intriguing. As it is, some subplots are just unnecessary while the playing house and wooing back sections are rather dragged out. I suppose if you really like the romance, then this isn’t a problem at all. In fact, you may not get enough of this couple and want more. But if you prefer more substance to the story and not just romance, then this is going to be a little slow-moving.
For this review of Are You The One, I would rate it 8/10. The romance is definitely the highlight of the drama and there is nothing much to it besides the love story. Character development is also not that well done with the female protagonist being written to be rather inconsistent in terms of personality as she switches between being a vengeful bandit and an elegant lady. So, her revenge storyline goes cold midway to give focus to the romance. As such, sit back and just enjoy the romance. Don’t dwell too much on the other aspects of the drama and this would be a pleasurable watch.
I think I will watch this because you did a review on this and has a high rating. I have not heard of this series until I read your review, so thanks.
The OST for this drama is pretty good!